April 2021 Archives

Tipsheet: Kohl’s +100 EV Stations | US Econ. +6.4% | Amazon Pay Bump

April 29, 2021/in Eye-on-Retail

US economy accelerated at a robust 6.4% rate last quarter at AP News. “Thursday’s GDP report showed that consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of the economy, surged at a 10.7% annual rate in the January-March quarter, a significant acceleration after spending had slowed to a 2.3% annual gain in the final three months of last year. Business investment rose at a strong annual rate of nearly 10%, reflecting a burst of spending on equipment.” Read more

Pending home sales rose less than expected in March as prices soared at CNBC. “Pending home sales, a measure of signed contracts on existing homes, rose 1.9% in March compared with April, according to the National Association of Realtors. Forecasters had expected a 5% gain.” Read more

Amazon to spend $1B to boost pay for 500k operations workers by as much as $3 an hour at GeekWire. “Darcie Henry, Amazon’s VP of People eXperience and Technology, Worldwide Consumer, posted on the company’s website that the annual pay review for Customer Fulfillment, Delivery, Package Sortation, and Specialty Fulfillment teams was being moved up from fall to mid-May through early June. Amazon currently offers workers in these positions a starting wage of at least $15 an hour…” Read more

USA Today 10 Best 2021: Best Supermarket in USA

The Fresh Market
Hy-Vee
Lidl
Market Basket
ALDI
Stew Leonard’s
Publix
Sprouts Farmers Market
Wegmans Food Markets
Trader Joe’s

Tipsheet: Cornell +$77.5M | Gas Outage Summer? | Amazon #1 Best Workplace

April 28, 2021/in Eye-on-Retail

Coming this summer: Gas stations running out of gas at CNN. “Not that there’s a looming shortage of crude oil or gasoline. Rather, it’s the tanker truck drivers needed to deliver the gas to stations who are in short supply. According to the National Tank Truck Carriers, the industry’s trade group, somewhere between 20% to 25% of tank trucks in the fleet are parked heading into this summer due to a paucity of qualified drivers.” Read more

LinkedIn Top Companies 2021: The 50 best workplaces to grow your career in the U.S.

Amazon #1 / Walmart #9 / CVS #15 / Target #28 / Home Depot #48 List

Walmart Expands Delivery to Your Fridge at Bloomberg. “Pets must be kept out of the way, although Walmart is testing letting them roam free in one market. The service costs $19.95 a month with a 30-day free trial…Mumbi Mundia-Howe, a mother of five living in the Pittsburgh suburbs, likes that she gets the same delivery staff on each order. One unexpected benefit: The $20 fee is less than she tipped her regular grocery delivery people each month.” Read more

Target CEO Brian Cornell says George Floyd’s murder pushed him to do more about racial equity, diversity at CNBC. “He spoke in a wide-ranging interview with Ulta Beauty CEO Mary Dillon, which was hosted by the Economic Club of Chicago…As a young boy, Cornell grew up in a diverse neighborhood of Queens, New York, and was raised by a single mom. As an adult, he and his family lived in Asia and Europe.” Read more

Target CEO Brian Cornell’s total compensation rises to $77.5M at Fox Business. “The majority of Cornell’s compensation came from long-term equity awards that were either vested or exercised in 2020, which had a combined worth of $70 million. About $40.8 million came from restricted stock that was vested in 2020, while another $29.2 million came from options that were exercised.” Read more

**A message from Readywise – Consumers are looking for emergency food supplies – are you offering the variety they want? Up to 25-year shelf life. High quality and great taste. Website | Catalog | Sample: info@eyeonretail.net

Walmart’s latest strategy to get your stuff to you faster at CNN. “Walmart announced Wednesday that it will add dozens of 20,000 square-foot to 30,000 square-foot automated fulfillment centers in the coming years, either in the backrooms of its stores or next to them.” Read more

U.S. auto sales to more than double in April – J.D. Power, LMC Automotive at Reuters Read more

Target teams with Hilton Carter on a plant-focused home décor line at A Bullseye View. “Searches for plants on Target.com have increased by more than 300% over the last year — a clear indicator that guests want to bring some of the outdoors inside to brighten up their space,” says Jill Sando, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, Target.” Read more

Elon Musk taunts Jeff Bezos over Blue Origin’s challenge to SpaceX’s contract for lunar lander at GeekWire. “Musk twisted the knife a bit on Twitter, using a phrase with sexual overtones to note that Blue Origin hasn’t yet launched a rocket to orbit. “Can’t get it up (to orbit) lol,” he wrote.” Read more

Tipsheet Extra

Girl Scout cookies take flight in Virginia drone deliveries

Elizabeth Warren takes aim at FedEx, Nike, Amazon in push for corporate tax hike

AP analysis: The expected COVID baby boom may be a baby bust

Mass. Attorney General: Vaccines should be required for public employees

Workers could get 12 weeks of paid leave under Biden’s plan

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Tipsheet: Lawton @ Mad Money | WM BTW 6/30 | Bitcoin @ Camping World | WM Blasts Kanye

April 27, 2021/in Eye-on-Retail

Tractor Supply CEO @ “Mad Money” at CNBC. “Many millennials are leaving dense urban centers to settle in more rural communities, and the relocation trend has been a boon for Tractor Supply, CEO Hal Lawton told CNBC Monday. “We’ve been gaining market share with our core customer, but also with the new customer: the millennial customer,” Lawton said in a one-on-one with Jim Cramer on “Mad Money.” “We’re really seeing a revitalization of rural led by millennials.” Video/Read more

Camping World will accept Bitcoin at Fox Business. “The recreational vehicle dealer announced the offering in a new partnership with BitPay, a cryptocurrency payment service provider, in which it will also accept Ethereum (ETH) and a few other cryptocurrencies as forms of payment for RV purchases.” Read more

Amazon expands service that delivers groceries inside your garage at GeekWire. “Amazon is expanding its Key In-Garage Grocery Delivery service to more than 5,000 U.S. cities and towns. It launched in November in five cities.” Read more

Albertsons Companies Q4 identical sales growth up 11.8% Press release

Walmart provides update on workforce, officer diversity at Talk Business. “The retail giant provided a look into its workforce hiring and promoting practices over the past year in the annual Better Together report filed Monday (April 26)…it hired more than 480,000 new U.S. employees last year and people of color represented 55% of those new hires.” Read more

British grocery sales get shot in the arm from vaccinated over-65s at Reuters. “Kantar said the four week period was the busiest in store for grocers in more than a year, and the number of trips made in April increased by 4% compared to March. “With much of the over-65 community now vaccinated, older shoppers accounted for nearly half of the increased footfall,” said Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar.” Read more

**Find the future of the candy and snacks industries at the Sweets & Snacks Expo’s Innovation Avenue! Innovation Avenue delivers the leading brands of tomorrow for retailers truly looking for something cutting-edge to wow their shoppers. Indianapolis, June 23-25 2021. Most innovative new products 2019 & 2018 | Register now

Walmart blasts Kanye West’s new logo as a ‘lookalike’ at NY Post. “The design, which West’s company said may be used in conjunction with sneakers, underwear, T-shirts, furniture, modular homes and even hotel services, consists of eight lines made up of three dots each that emerge from a circle to form “rays,” according to legal papers.” Pics/Read more

Volume continues to surge at UPS to start the year at AP. “A surge in the volume of deliveries that arrived with the start of the pandemic has not eased at UPS, where consolidated average daily volume jumped 14.3% in the first quarter.” Read more

Walmart’s Fight Against a $15 Minimum Wage Could Thrust It Into the Inequality Debate at Bloomberg. “Doug McMillon, who began work at Walmart as an hourly associate, said raising wages to a blanket $15 minimum would compromise a “ladder of opportunity” that encourages its employees to strive to earn more as they climb the ranks. “The alternative would be to invest all of that to try and get to $15 faster, but if we do that, then we wouldn’t be able to create this succession that we are committed to creating.” Read more

Camping World acquires online campground reservation system campgroundbooking.com Press release

Foot traffic at a representative sample of 50 malls in March was up 86% from same month last year at Fox Business. “While that foot traffic was 24% lower than in March 2019, mall owners are suggesting that their business has turned a corner.” Read more

Walmart is planning for up to 50% of its corporate employees to return to their offices by July at Talk Business. Read more

How Hubert Joly Changed Best Buy Without Everyone Hating Him at Wall Street Journal. “A company fighting with its founder seemed crazy to me. I greatly admired what (founder) Dick had accomplished and said so to our employees. I wanted to build a positive relationship with him. A month after my stint in St. Cloud, I headed to Dick’s foundation office a few minutes from Best Buy’s headquarters. I entered Dick’s office, wearing a suit and tie, and handed him my résumé. “Under normal circumstances, you would have interviewed me,” I explained. “So I wanted to introduce myself properly.” Dick later told me that my gesture had touched him.” WSJ subs.

Amazon Launches IP Accelerator in Canada to Help Small Businesses Secure a Trademark and Protect Their Brands Press release

Tipsheet Extra

Nestlé doesn’t have valid rights to water it’s been bottling, California officials say

ADT sues Ring over ‘virtually indistinguishable’ blue octagon design

Jessica Alba’s Honest Co targets $1.5 bln valuation in U.S. IPO

SpartanNash names Communications VP

Workers 4-5 times less safe outside their workplace than inside it: report

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Tipsheet: Costco/PBM Partner | WM VP Tech Q&A | New Homes +20.7%

April 23, 2021/in Eye-on-Retail

New home sales surged 20.7% in March to 1.02 million at AP. “The big jump in new home sales stood in contrast to sales of existing homes, which fell for a second consecutive month in March, a drop that was blamed on a lack of supply which has pushed exiting home prices to new highs.” Read more

Costco Brings Its Low-Price Magic to Employer-Paid Drug Plans at Bloomberg. “(Costco) has become partners with Navitus Health Solutions LLC, a small pharmacy benefit manager based in Madison, Wis., on a strategy that could rewrite the complicated playbook for running prescription plans…Navitus’s 100% pass-through model saved the retailer millions of dollars on drug costs, according to Costco CFO Richard Galanti, while aligning with a core Costco strategy. “We’ve always been known for passing on as much savings as possible directly to our member, to our customer, whether it’s food and sundries or prescriptions,” he says.” Tiered subs.

Amazon tests tool that lets brands contact shoppers in departure from its tight control over customers at CNBC. “Last week, Amazon began piloting a tool that enables U.S. brands who are part of its Brand Registry program to email marketing materials to shoppers that have opted to “follow” their brand. Brands can then notify those shoppers when they launch a new product or promotion.” Read more

Amazon reportedly bringing cashierless tech to its larger grocery store format at GeekWire. “Bloomberg uncovered planning documents for an Amazon Fresh store under construction in Connecticut that show entry and exit gates and ceiling-mounted racks, which are used in Amazon’s smaller Amazon Go and Go Grocery stores and eliminate the need for physical cashiers.” Read more

Albertsons Companies names Danielle Crop as Chief Data Officer “Crop was most recently Chief Data Officer at American Express.” Press release

How Walmart adapted its IoT strategy to the pandemic at VentureBeat. “VP of technology Sanjay Radhakrishnan oversees Walmart’s IoT platforms and applications. Radhakrishnan sat down with VentureBeat to describe the giant retail chain’s long-term data strategy and how it’s changed since last March to accommodate changing store ecosystems across the U.S.” Q&A

Lowe’s acquires Stainmaster brand Press release

**Find the future of the candy and snacks industries at the Sweets & Snacks Expo’s Innovation Avenue! Innovation Avenue delivers the leading brands of tomorrow for retailers truly looking for something cutting-edge to wow their shoppers. Indianapolis, June 23-25 2021. Most innovative new products 2019 & 2018 | Register now

How A Home Depot Store Manager Became A Top CEO at Investor’s Business Daily. “Tom Taylor joined Home Depot at just 16 years old — and became its youngest store manager at 22. And he’s tapped that early hands-on experience to be the Floor & Decor CEO…Early on, “(I) learned that a title didn’t make me any better or smarter than anyone else,” he said. “We have to get things done as a team.” Read more

Gymnast Simone Biles is leaving Nike to work with Gap’s Athleta brand at CNBC. Read more

US drop in vaccine demand has some places turning down doses at AP News. “Across the country, pharmacists and public health officials are seeing the demand wane and supplies build up. About half of Iowa’s counties have stopped asking for new doses from the state, and Louisiana didn’t seek shipment of some vaccine doses over the past week.” Read more

Home Depot Pays $21M To End EPA’s Lead Paint Safety Suit Law 360 subs.

Target, Ross, Marshalls, Drug Chains: The Vegas Strip Is Now A Strip Mall at Forbes. “The high-end luxury stores may get all the attention but the truth is that Las Vegas’s famed main thoroughfare has moved big-time from class to mass.” Read more

Mattel Q1 net sales up 47% Press release

VF Corporation appoints Matt Puckett as CFO “Puckett, 47, recently marked his 20th anniversary with VF. He joined the company in 2001 as a Senior Accountant in the finance organization.” Press release

Tipsheet Extra

FDA: N95 masks, now plentiful, should no longer be reused

Presumptive top NFL draft pick Trevor Lawrence announces deal with Gatorade

Judge approves $5M settlement over Walmart sales tax class action

60% opt for rapid delivery vs. eco-friendly consolidated shipments

Leevers Acquires 17 Save A Lot Stores Around Philadelphia

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Tipsheet: WM Zaps Towers | T. Supply +38.6% | Costco Warns | Wayfair +3 Sites

April 22, 2021/in Eye-on-Retail

Walmart Is Pulling Plug on More Robots at Wall Street Journal. “…phasing out the hulking automated pickup towers that were erected in more than 1,500 stores to dispense online orders…“The customer told us they want one pickup spot, and they want that pickup spot to be outside,” said a Walmart spokeswoman.” WSJ subs. | Fox Business

Tractor Supply Q1 comp sales up 38.6% “…included an increase in comparable average transaction count and ticket of 21.0% and 17.6%, respectively. All geographic regions of the Company had positive comparable store sales growth of at least 30%.” Press release

First-time claims for unemployment insurance totaled 547,000 last week, below the 603,000 Dow Jones estimate at CNBC. Read more

Department stores are still Americans’ favorite place to buy shoes at CNBC. “37% of people said they’ve bought shoes on a department store retailer’s website since the start of the health crisis, while 33% said they’ve made a footwear purchase recently in a brick-and-mortar department store. Specialty footwear stores, like DSW and Foot Locker, came in second place, at 20%.” Read more

Costco warns customers about 13 online scams at Fox Business. “The company posted 13 screenshots of “prominent fraudulent emails, texts, and posts” that Costco says are currently circulating the internet.” Read more

**A message from Comfy Sacks – Shredded foam bean bag sales continue their meteoric sales growth! Grab your share of this high growth category and add some “wow” and high dollar ring to your assortment. Easy onboard / Retail ready. Website | Sample: info@eyeonretail.net

Supermarkets’ Revival Skips the Top Store-Brand Supplier at Wall Street Journal. “We had built this supply chain designed for tremendous efficiency but very low volatility,” TreeHouse Chief Executive Steve Oakland said in an interview. “When the pandemic hit, we had complexity meet volatility.” The company faces pressure from an activist investor…” WSJ subs.

Metro Q2 comp sales: Food up 5.5% / Pharmacy down 0.8% Press release

Supermarket Industry Rallies for Virtual ‘Day in Washington’ Fly-In at FMI. “More than 230 supermarket retailers and wholesalers from 143 companies and food industry state association executives from across the nation connected virtually today with members of Congress…” Press release

Wayfair to open three new Engineering sites in San Francisco, Austin and Toronto “The company plans to hire approximately 1,000 technologists…expanding its Engineering footprint to locations outside of its technology hubs in Boston and Berlin for the first time…” Press release

Piper Sandler 2021 Teen Survey “56% of teens cite Amazon as their No. 1 favorite e-com site…Ulta gained 700 bps share Y/Y as No. 1 beauty destination with 46% share…88% of teens own an iPhone…Snapchat is the favorite social media platform (31% share) followed by TikTok (30%) & Instagram (24%, down 700 bps Y/Y).” Read more

Walmart Contributes To Search Ad Spend Rise To $61.69B In 2020 at MediaPost. “For the first time, eMarketer broke out search advertising revenue at Walmart. The company grew its share in 2020, and will account for 1.1% of net search ad revenue this year.” Register to read

Overtime raises $80M from Jeff Bezos, Drake and others at Wall Street Journal. “Overtime Sports Inc., which targets younger fans on digital and social platforms, has raised $80 million in funding to pursue plans including the launch of its own high-school basketball league, the company said. The sports media and entertainment venture also hopes to tap the broader interest in nonfungible tokens and sports betting.” WSJ subs.

Tipsheet Extra

Queen Elizabeth II’s brand recognition higher than Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey

Tesla offers a rare apology in China after an angry customer’s unruly protest

Target’s retail media group integrates the CitrusAd platform

Former Heisman Trophy winner partners with Dick’s Sporting Goods

Postal Service ‘elite police force’ monitors social media posts for potential threats

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Tipsheet: GameStop CEO +$179M | B. Buy #65 Diversity | Advance Auto Comp 22%+

April 21, 2021/in Eye-on-Retail

How a sweetheart deal gives GameStop CEO a $179 mln goodbye gift at Reuters. “…GameStop granted him more shares linked to his tenure at the company rather than to his performance as most companies do with their CEO, said Eric Hoffmann, a vice president at compensation consultant Farient Advisors LLC.” Read more

America’s Best Employers for Diversity 2021 at Forbes.

Best Buy #65, Williams-Sonoma #77, Home Depot #105, Nordstrom #141 Ranked list

Amazon to let Whole Foods shoppers pay with a swipe of their palm at Reuters. “The deployment stops short of introducing Amazon’s cashier-less technology at Whole Foods, which critics have said would result in job cuts. Amazon One still requires scanning items at checkout, and the company said it will not impact jobs at Whole Foods.” Read more

LAST NIGHT – an event featuring Target CEO Brian Cornell was postponed as the nation awaited the Derek Chauvin jury verdict at CNBC. Read more

Stop & Shop ‘shocked and heartbroken’ by Long Island grocery store shooting at Fox Business. “Wilson, a shopping cart wrangler at the store, went to the offices immediately after arriving for work at around 11 a.m., wounding a man and a woman in one room before going down the hall and killing a 49-year-old store manager, Ryder said.” Read more

Inside the booming market for buying Amazon sellers: Secrets and insights from an acquirer at GeekWire. “They quickly buy out popular mom-and-pop Amazon sellers, and then attempt to use their e-commerce expertise in marketing and logistics to drive additional revenue and profits across a wide range of brands. There are now about 40 of these aggregators — with names like Perch, Thrasio and Cap Hill Brands — operating across the e-commerce landscape.” Q&A

**Find the future of the candy and snacks industries at the Sweets & Snacks Expo’s Innovation Avenue! Innovation Avenue delivers the leading brands of tomorrow for retailers truly looking for something cutting-edge to wow their shoppers. Indianapolis, June 23-25 2021. Most innovative new products 2019 & 2018 | Register now

LVMH, Richemont and Prada unite behind a blockchain consortium at NY Times. “LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, which first unveiled plans for a global blockchain-based system in 2019, will be joined by Prada Group and Compagnie Financière Richemont in the Aura Blockchain Consortium, a nonprofit group that will promote the use of a single blockchain solution open to all luxury brands worldwide.” Read more

Amazon criticizes European soccer ‘Super League’ as anticompetitive, says Prime Video not involved at GeekWire. Read more

Lidl US Appoints New CEO at Virginia Views. “…its current CEO announced on April 20 that he was stepping down to spend more time with his family. Lidl’s US President and CEO Johannes Fieber is leaving the company in late May, and Michal Laguionek, a long-time Lidl manager based in Germany, will take his place.” Read more

The Americas’ fastest-growing companies 2021 at Financial Times. Ranked list

Home Depot reacts to boycott campaign over Georgia voting law at Fox Business. “One of the leaders, Pastor Jamal H. Bryant – who called notorious anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan “one of the greatest leaders of our people” – called a boycott of the Home Depot a “necessary evil” in a Tuesday New York Times article…Home Depot said in a statement to Fox News that the company would “continue to underscore our statement that all elections should be accessible, fair and secure…” Read more

Advance Auto Parts estimates Q1 comp sales will range from 22% to 24% Press release

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE – Snarled Supply Chain Trips Up Small Businesses at Wall Street Journal. “One of the biggest challenges of being a small company is we buy from billion-dollar companies and sell to billion-dollar companies,” making it difficult to fend off price increases or pass them on to customers, (Heather Chandler) said.” WSJ subs.

Tipsheet Extra

Here’s everything Apple announced at its ‘Spring Loaded’ event

Netflix reveals $17 billion in content spending in fiscal 2021

This startup helps homebuyers make all-cash offers when they don’t have enough cash

L’Oreal targets male beauty with push into new ‘growth engine’ market

Median home price in Boston-area hits record of nearly $725K

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Tipsheet: Amazon Hair Salon | Lulu Buy Used | Bezos Shelter Tour

April 20, 2021/in Eye-on-Retail

Gap is taking its Athleta workout brand to Canada, rival Lululemon’s home turf at CNBC. “It marks the women’s athletic apparel brand’s first expansion outside of the United States. Gap said Athleta will launch online in the Canadian market later this summer, followed by the opening of company-owned retail stores in North York, Ontario, and West Vancouver, British Columbia, this fall.” Read more

…Lululemon is testing a resale program where shoppers can sell and buy used items in its stores at CNBC. “Starting in May, Lululemon customers in California and Texas will be able to trade in gently used Lululemon items, in a store or by mail, in exchange for a Lululemon gift card. The following month, those gently used items will start to be sold to people…” Read more

Jeff Bezos gives Washington governor a tour of homeless shelter attached to Amazon HQ at GeekWire. “…the Amazon CEO is seen touring the year-old facility with Inslee and Marty Hartman, executive director of Mary’s Place. Bezos’ girlfriend Lauren Sanchez is also present, and at one point in the video she’s seen cradling a baby in her arms while she and Bezos chat with a woman who calls facility staff “amazing” and “100% supportive.” 1:36 video/Read more

BJ’s Wholesale Club appoints Bob Eddy as President and CEO; Laura Felice named EVP, CFO “Paul Cichocki…has been named EVP, Chief Commercial Officer, and will oversee merchandising, membership, marketing and analytics. Bill Werner…has been appointed EVP, Strategy and Development and will lead the Company’s market expansion and key strategic initiatives…” Press release

Procter & Gamble will raise prices in September – price increases announced on baby products, adult diapers and feminine-care brands at Fox Business. Read more

Target taps diverse designers for limited-time dress collection “…featuring three celebrated designers: ALEXIS, Christopher John Rogers and RIXO.” Press release

**A message from Readywise – Consumers are looking for emergency food supplies – are you offering the variety they want? Up to 25-year shelf life. High quality and great taste. Website | Catalog | Sample: info@eyeonretail.net

H&M is letting customers hire a men’s suit for free for 24 hours at Business Insider. “The brand said it wanted anyone attending a job interview “to make a powerful first impression.” Read more

Amazon is opening a hair salon in London to trial new technology at The Verge. “Unlike the company’s cashierless Go grocery stores (which expanded to London last month), Amazon Salon does not seem to be a beachhead for an industry invasion. “This will be an experiential venue where we showcase new products and technology, and there are no current plans to open any other Amazon Salon locations,” said the company in a blog post.” Read more

Lowe’s Canada recognized as one of the country’s greenest employers Press release

Bed Bath & Beyond launches spa-inspired store brand “…found that 40% of Americans linger in the bathroom longer than they need to just to get more alone time.” Press release

Masiar Tayebi will join SpartanNash as EVP and Chief Strategy Officer “Prior to joining SpartanNash, Mr. Tayebi was Global Head of Corporate Strategy and Business Development at Whirlpool Corporation.” Press release

Why 20-Somethings Are Dressing Like Senior Citizens at Wall Street Journal. “Thanks to Instagram accounts like @Gramparents and books like ‘Chinatown Pretty,’ milllenials and Gen-Z are coming to appreciate their gray-haired elders’ fashion sense.” WSJ subs.

Tipsheet Extra

Venmo is joining big brother PayPal in offering cryptocurrencies for the first time

Geico admits fraudsters stole customers’ drivers license numbers for months

IKEA owner sets aside 4 bln euros for green power projects

Report: Biden administration is planning to cut nicotine levels in cigarettes

HBR: Did 4% of Americans Really Drink Bleach Last Year?

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Tipsheet: H.Depot Picks BBDO | Amazon Assembly | Target Pittsburgh

April 19, 2021/in Eye-on-Retail

Amazon illegally interfered in Alabama warehouse election, union alleges in complaint to federal officials at CNBC. “In its filing submitted to the NLRB, the union listed 23 objections surrounding Amazon’s behavior during the monthslong campaign, including allegations of employee intimidation and manipulation. The RWDSU said Monday it has requested a hearing before the NLRB to discuss its objections.” Read more

Amazon workers could soon be assembling furniture upon delivery a Fox Business. “The new assembly furniture service is slated to roll out in Virginia and two other markets, sources told Bloomberg. Customers who order big-box items such as sofas, beds or mattress sets would be able to have them put together on-demand and an Amazon employee would then take away the packaging, according to the report.” Read more

GameStop CEO George Sherman to step down at CNBC. “Sherman will be stepping down on July 31 or earlier upon the appointment of a successor, the company said in a statement. Its board is searching to identify chief executive officer candidates.” Read more

The Home Depot names BBDO its new agency of record at Ad Age. “BBDO replaces The Richards Group, with whom Home Depot parted ways in October, after 25 years. The retailer declined to name finalists in the review process; in January, Ad Age reported that the selection had been narrowed down to BBDO and Leo Burnett.” Read more

Target Plans To Bring Some New Life To A Downtown Pittsburgh Landmark at Forbes. “The new Target store will be a very welcome addition to downtown Pittsburgh’s streetscape. The long-empty banks of display windows at the Kaufmann’s building are a stark reminder of the city’s former glory as a retail center. Target will replace those windows with merchandise and fill its interior with local shoppers.” Read more

Kroger closes 2 Southern California stores over $4 per hour ‘hero pay’ ordinance at Fox Business. Read more

**Find the future of the candy and snacks industries at the Sweets & Snacks Expo’s Innovation Avenue! Innovation Avenue delivers the leading brands of tomorrow for retailers truly looking for something cutting-edge to wow their shoppers. Indianapolis, June 23-25 2021. Most innovative new products 2019 & 2018 | Register now

SupplyPike report details Walmart’s 2020 inventory issues at Talk Business. “The report analyzed data from more than 200 suppliers to Walmart throughout 2020. The report examined the rise and fall of Walmart’s suppliers’ sales and in-stocks (product on the shelf) in 2020 and created a timeline of coronavirus impacts on retail.” Read more

Pandemic-spurred home renovation boom would be bigger if not for 208% spike in lumber price at Fortune. “41% of U.S. homeowners say they’ve done a home project since the pandemic started, according to a Fortune-Researchscape International poll of 1,031 U.S. adults between April 2 to 5.” Register to read

Amazon Invests in Nine New Renewable Energy Projects Press release

Camping World announces appointments to leadership team ” Elizabeth Garry has joined the company as VP, Ecommerce and Jessica Wegner has joined the company as VP, Customer Loyalty and Membership.” Press release

Britain’s Marks & Spencer to boost online capacity with second warehouse at Reuters. “British retailer Marks & Spencer (MKS.L) will increase its online capacity by building a new automated online warehouse in its existing distribution centre in Bradford, northern England, it said on Monday.” Read more

Tipsheet Extra

Kanye West reveals official Yeezy x Gap logo

New Details Emerge on Meijer’s Small-Format Store in Detroit

‘Downton Abbey 2’ Hitting Theaters in December With Original Cast Returning

Pandemic good Samaritan faces hefty tax bill for his efforts

Can Alamo Drafthouse Battle Back From Bankruptcy and Lead a Moviegoing Revival?

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Archive for month: April, 2021